Why Theo Walcott is not suited to centre forward role in Arsenal system

In the aftermath of the World Cup, the group of German students who helped plot England’s demise also began analysing the lessons from the entire tournament in South Africa.

The key finding? That 4-4-2 is dead and the trend we saw with Spain, Holland, Germany and now just about all the top club teams in Europe for a 4-2-3-1 system is here to stay.

Interestingly, one of their other main observations was that the most influential players are no longer the out and out strikers, but the inside forwards, wingers or attacking midfielders who play behind that main forward.

Go through the stars of world football – Robben, Ronaldo, Sneijder, Iniesta, Messi, Ozil – and just about all of them most naturally play in one of those three positions around the centre forward.

Another knock-on is that the role of the main centre forward has become more specialised and specific than ever before.

The striker is no longer just a goalscorer; but rather a focal point for the team who can hold the ball up, play with his back to goal, run tirelessly into space, drag defenders out of position, provide an aerial threat and, most crucially of all, create chances for others.

It is why players in the mould of Michael Owen have become unfashionable and now spend so much time on the bench. It is also why players like Walcott, Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin, who are so adept at drifting inside to support a striker, are of such importance.

The best modern-day example of the new breed of centre forward is Didier Drogba.

For Arsenal, it is a role currently being carried out by Marouane Chamakh or Nicklas Bendtner, although their positions in the team will come under pressure when Robin van Persie returns.

All the talk, therefore, of Theo Walcott becoming a centre forward for Arsenal seems hugely premature. Arsene Wenger indicated yesterday that he was ready to trial Walcott in that role, saying he was "very, very close" to playing through the middle.

Yet Wenger then qualified that statement by noting the problem created by a team who defended deeply and did not allow space for him to run into behind them.

The lack of a real aerial presence would be another weakness.

It is why playing Walcott through the middle, in the manner of Thierry Henry, is a fascinating theoretical talking point but rather less relevant in practice.

The differences between now and when Henry was playing for Arsenal are already considerable. In the days of 4-4-2, Henry had Dennis Bergkamp for support.

If Walcott could also play alongside another striker – like Van Persie, Bendtner or Chamakh – it is possible to envisage how he could thrive in a central position.

But will Wenger really change his entire formation to accommodate Walcott in that role? It is highly unlikely and why, for all the encouragement yesterday, Walcott's considerable attributes are still best employed out on the right.